Roseville: When glass was smashed, 15 years of work vanished

When a thief bashed a passenger-side window of Jason Weismann's car, they stole an iPad and a cloth bag filled with binders of handwritten notes.

And Weismann couldn't care less about the iPad.

In those binders were 15 years' worth of original compositions, and the local jazz musician wants his lifetime of work returned.

"When you compose, it's not like you can spit it out again," said Weismann, 41, of Richfield. "It's heart-wrenching; it's like losing children."

Sometime in the early hours of Thursday, Nov. 15, the rear passenger window of Weismann's Volkswagen Jetta was smashed in the 2700 block of Lexington Avenue North in Roseville.

A burgundy cloth bag of three-ring binders stuffed with compositions, lyrics and chord changes was taken. Handwritten notes are part of Weismann's creative process, and eventually, finished work is saved elsewhere. But a bulk of his work is done longhand.

The loss was devastating to Weismann, who prides himself on writing and composing alongside playing multiple instruments. He scribbled lyrics and ideas whenever and wherever inspiration stuck -- and stored it carefully in a binder.

"It kills me knowing once (the thief) knew it was music, that they didn't leave it in the lost and found or just leave it by the side of road," he said.

Roseville police said they have no suspects.

Weismann plays in six jazz bands, including the Jason Weismann Quartet, The Heaters and The Jaztronauts.

Weismann is offering a $300 reward for the return of the binders, "no questions asked.

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" But even a million-dollar reward wouldn't really represent its value to him, he said.

In July 2010, Weismann and another man rescued a pregnant woman from a burning car wreck in Iowa. Weismann inhaled considerable amounts of smoke and turned to writing more because he could not perform as often, he said.

"It's a one-two punch," he said. "All that writing I did when I couldn't perform is gone."

Anyone who has information about the theft can call Roseville police at 651-792-7008 or contact Weismann through minnesotasmusic.com/ Minnesotas_Music/The_Artist.html.